Bring Caretakers – MPs

Parliament has requested for the full list of all Ministers of State who have been asked by President John Dramani Mahama to be at post until new ministers are appointed.

Consequently, Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho directed Majority Leader, Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor to furnish the House with the names of such caretaker ministers.

This, according to Adjaho, would inform the House as to which ministers to deal with in the conduct of parliamentary business and in the discharge of its oversight responsibility over the Executive.

Speaker Adjaho’s directive followed legal issues raised by Akuapim North Member of Parliament (MP), William Ofori Boafo concerning President Mahama’s directive on the caretaker ministers.

According to him, the president’s directive on the caretaker ministers was not in conformity with some provisions of the Transition Act, which stipulates how power should be transferred from one government to another.

He contended that per the provisions of the Act, the president should have issued an official statement appointing the ministers to caretaker positions, a copy of which should be presented to Parliament and not just a mere directive from the presidency.

The MP quoted yesterday’s edition of DAILY GUIDE to buttress his point on the floor of Parliament.

However, some NDC MPs, who read the paper gleefully and religiously like ‘Bible and Qur’an,’ quibbled in the House’s chamber, suggesting the publication was not credible.

Interestingly, Speaker Adjaho, in his remarks admitted the Akuapim North, MP W.O. Boafo was right in quoting DAILY GUIDE as a source for official publication on national issues.

A statement issued by presidential spokesperson John Abdulai Jinapor had indicated that the President had directed the various substantive ministers, including regional ministers, whose tenure of office expired at midnight on the 6th of January 2013, to remain in office in caretaker positions.

According to the statement, the arrangement was for the orderly conduct of government business before the appointment of Ministers of State to head government ministries and in the spirit of the Transition Act.

It added that in the case of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General’s Department, the Solicitor-General “shall be in charge of the Ministry” in accordance with the Transition Act,

“Additionally, and also in accordance with the Transition Act, non-career ambassadors and High Commissioners appointed by the President are also to continue in office in a caretaker position.

“Finally, in accordance with the Transition Act, the persons appointed as caretakers “shall not take a decision involving a policy issue,” the statement said.